"It's difficult to turn this over to someone to sustain the momentum."

With the Jefferson Paris School Board scheduled to meet behind closed doors to discuss his contract, Acting Superintendent James Meza said Thursday he wants one more year to shepherd the reforms he has started in the 46,000-student school system. His current contract expires at the end of June. Extending it through June 2014, he said, should provide enough time to fully establish changes he has pushed since becoming schools chief in July 2011.

At least some School Board members have spoken glowingly of Meza. Board President Mark Jacobs in July called him a "Drew Brees caliber" leader, comparing him to the most successful quarterback in the history of the New Orleans Saints. The board completed a job review of Meza in September, with Jacobs concluding, "He has exceeded all of our expectations."

Meza has overhauled the school system, clustering schools into networks meant to encourage the autonomy of individual school sites and their principals, reshaping central administration as a support service for schools, closing some campuses, welcoming new charter schools, basing more organizational decisions on student performance and in the process laying off, reshuffling and recruiting numerous administrators and teachers.

Acting Jefferson Parish public schools superintendent James Meza

"I am interested in going beyond this year," Meza said, "because I do think it'll take three years to implement the reforms fully."

Meza expresses a strong interest in solidifying his reorganization before leaving. He said he wants to create a plan that would install his successor before he departs. He said he wants to help establish someone who would continue his efforts.

"It's difficult to turn this over to someone to sustain the momentum," Meza said. "I don't want to lose that momentum or focus."

The school system showed gains on standardized test scores last school year, the first year under Meza's leadership, although his most sweeping changes are taking affect now with results yet to be charted.

Meza's contract establishes his salary at $248,000 a year. The School Board initially hired him on an interim basis as it searched for a permanent replacement for retired Superintendent Diane Roussel. But when he unveiled aggressive reform plans, the board dropped the search and agreed to keep him beyond his first year to carry out the plans. Along the way, however, the board hasn't dropped the term "acting" from his title.

In a meeting that begins at 5 p.m. at the school system's administration building, 501 Manhattan Boulevard, in Harvey, the board is scheduled to hold an executive session "to discuss goals and objectives for (the) superintendent's contract." The board does not have a vote scheduled on the contract.

Jacobs said the closed session will focus on planning and goal-setting. "We had said we would evaluate the superintendent, which we did," Jacobs said Wednesday. "Now we need to discuss the handling of the superintendent's contract."